Gravity
by Mei Zhu
Summary: Haruka reflects on her relationship with Michiru. [Note: A large part of this fan fiction is actually rephrasing of the anime. I obviously don't own those parts.]


I can feel a void inside of me as I stare up at the dark colors of the painting. Slowly, I reach out to touch the rough textures of the paint.

"Sir," my hand freezes inches from the artwork. "Please don't touch the displays." I let my hand drop without correcting the curator of her mistake.

Ironic. Life can be so ironic. She is exactly like her artwork. Untouchable. Perfect to the point of insanity.

_Gravity_ was what she had called the painting. A weight that can pull a dreamer back into reality. A weight that kept her in her own little world.

Away from me.

War changes even the strongest person. It takes away a piece of the person's being and leaves behind a faint image of what used to be.

But I've realized one thing: I have never met the Michiru before the war.

* * *

_The gun sounded, and Haruka pushed away from the starting line. She ran as fast as she could, not caring about her competitors. For her, this race was not about winning. It was about running away from life. Away from reality. Towards some unattainable haven, void of worries._

The force of the ribbon at the finish line pulled her back into reality. The race was finished. She had won.

Haruka somehow managed to squeeze herself out of the crowd that had formed on the track. Nobody noticed her as she walked towards a bench at the side of the track. I am the wind... __

"Congratulations." Haruka jumped at the voice of a girl behind her. Turning, she found herself face-to-face with one of her competitors. She smiled, ignoring the look of disappointment on the other girl's face.

"You didn't do so bad either."

"Tenou Haruka, I've heard of your reputation. You're really great, I've got someone here to really wants to meet you. She's a brilliant painter, Kaiou Michiru."

"You didn't even break a sweat while running," Haruka was surprised at the frankness of the other's voice. "You were holding back, weren't you?"

"...?"

Michiru smiled. "You can hear the wind."

It was that moment that Haruka knew; this was the girl in her dreams. But Haruka didn't want to live in the past. "What do you want?"

"I want you to model for my painting."

"I'm sorry, I'm not interested in that sort of thing..."

* * *

  
I never really understood why Michiru had such passion for art or music. To me, such things were utterly incomprehensible. Yet, she often became lost inside the pictures and melodies. The dark, miserable themes that seemed to fill her every movement.

There are some things about her that I'll never understand. Things that she would never explain to me. In truth, I am afraid to know. I just want to shine light into the dark corners of her life.

But how can light shine through the opaque wall that Michiru has built around her own sanctuary? There are times when I want to beg her to invite me into her world. But deep down, I know that if she were to invite me in, I would be lost.

There is no room to breath in the sea.

* * *

_Haruka played listlessly with her glass, staring into space. The tuxedo she was wearing didn't suit her, and the environment felt uncomfortable._

"Isn't she marvelous?" Haruka couldn't help overhearing the conversation of a couple not too far away. Her gaze shifted towards the obvious subject of their conversation: Michiru who was playing the violin on stage.

"She doesn't look like a student at all. Must be incredibly popular at school," the woman was saying.

"I've heard she doesn't have many friends."

"Why? A nice girl like her..."

"She doesn't seem to like people much..."

Having had enough of the atmosphere, Haruka turned to leave. A pair of aqua eyes followed her movements.

The blonde stopped on the stairs below the deck to look at a painting of a tidal wave destroying the city. "Do you like the painting?" A voice from the bottom of the steps broke the silence. "The opinion of Tenou Haruka, the magnificent racer, is always welcomed."

Haruka didn't look away from the painting. "You seem to know a lot about me."

"It's not hard to know a lot about someone who's famous. You have many fans at my school." The compliment invited a brief smile to Haruka's face. "One of them wishes to ride along the coastline with you in your car, even though she's a girl."

"The end of the world... how can a pretty, gentle girl like you paint such a horrible imaginary picture?"

"It's not imaginary. It's real, and we can both see it."

Haruka frowned and turned to face Michiru. "I don't care about my past life or saving the world. If this is so important, then why don't you do it?" She could see that her comment struck a small nerve in the other girl.

"I don't want this responsibility either. I have a dream, to play the violin..."

* * *

  
A cold blast of wind assaulted me as I opened the door of the museum. I shiver, wrapping my jacket tightly around me as I step out onto the busy streets of Japan.

It's raining. Michiru loves the rain.

* * *

_Haruka stopped and glanced back towards the garage she had just passed. She heard a soft whimpering coming from behind the large, metal doors and turned to investigate. At the back of the dark garage, she found a boy begging for help. As she approached him, however, he transformed into a large monster and attacked. The blonde grabbed for the closest object and fought back in vain._

The creature had Haruka cornered when suddenly, a strange light appeared before her and a small wand materialized before her. Stunned, she reached automatically for it.

"Don't touch it!" Michiru's voice rang through the garage, and Haruka found herself frozen in place, her hand inches away from the wand. "Once you touch it, you can never return to your normal life."

Slowly, Michiru held up a green wand similar to the one in front of Haruka. A bluish glow enveloped her, and when it disappeared, Michiru was gone and Sailor Neptune was standing in her place.

Haruka remained frozen in place as she watched Sailor Neptune push the monster back. She snapped back into reality when she realized that Neptune was about the finish the monster. "Wait! There's a human inside."

"The silence is approaching. If I don't do this, there will be more sacrifices."

"So you don't have a choice?"

"No. I don't have a choice."

Suddenly, the monster lunged for Haruka and Sailor Neptune dove in front of her. She was badly injured, but she managed to execute one last attack to finish off the monster before slumping into Haruka's arms.

"You shouldn't have done that. If you hurt your hands, you'll never be able to play the violin."

"I wasn't watching you simply because you're a soldier. Before I knew you were a soldier, I was watching you when you were racing for the first time. I always wanted to ride in your car, along the coastline. Just once. You never ask any favors of anyone. You're always faithful to your feelings."

"I'm not faithful. I'm always running away."

Neptune shook her head. "No, I know you better than you do because I always watch you. I don't want you to take the same road I took." She smiled, closing her eyes. "Still... I was happy when I found out you were one..."

* * *

  
Solitude is a funny feeling. It can be both sad and content at the same time.

The race tracks bring back such vivid memories of the first time I ever met Michiru. The stands are empty this time, as I walk up to the starting line. The rain running down my face and seeping through my coat seems so far away. I can still hear her voice. _You can hear the wind._

"I want you to model for my painting." Such simple words, yet so powerful. No longer an echo.

Silence passes between us. I stare up at her from the tracks, and she looks down on me from her place in the stands. Michiru's beautiful even when she's soaked. 


End file.
